Roof Glazing


Engineered glass panels from London Architectural Glass can be used in roofs to create clear roof openings, allowing natural light into below spaces.

Aspects to consider for overhead glazing are ease of maintenance, controlling solar radiation and safety. All glass panels in glass roofs should be a designated safety glass, either toughened or laminated.

For safety reasons the internal panel of any overhead glazing is recommended to be laminated to stop falling pieces of glass in case of breakages.

Glass within roof assemblies can be single glazed if no thermal performance is needed. Double or triple glazed units can be used if a thermal insulation is needed for the below space.

Solar Control glass is also a popular glass solution for roofs. As most glass roofs or rooflights will be under direct sunlight for most of the day a solar control coating will help reduce the amount of radiation from entering the below space and help control the comfort levels for the internal climate.

If privacy is wanted to a glass roof construction then translucent coloured interlayers or a sandblasted glass unit can be incorporated to reduce vision through the glass unit whilst maintaining large light transmission levels.

Glass roof and rooflights are recommended to be at a pitch of no less than 5 degrees in order to allow adequate water run-off and to stop ‘pooling’ on glass surfaces. A larger pitch usually means less maintenance time though contemporary design favours flatter roof designs. You might want to consider a low maintenance coating to the external glass panel for reduced cleaning.